With spring gradually blooming and filling us with a bit more spirit for the year to come, what better way to dive into the season than with a visit to Petworth for some delectable morsels? Because if you love good food and drink, and you love supporting local, you’re going to love Foodie Petworth as a destination.
Start with coffee and cake
Before you start, you’re going to need sustenance, so take your pick from one of the town’s coffee shops. Coco Café and Sugar Lounge, Tiffins Tea Rooms, and Cherry’s all do an excellent line in tea, coffee, and cake. The Angel Inn also does an amazing breakfast!
Next stop – The Hungry Guest
The Hungry Guest is a well-known Petworth foodie destination of choice, their speciality areas being: a cheesemonger, fishmonger, butcher, and bakery. They are all about what’s seasonal, fresh, and locally sourced and their carefully selected small-scale producers and sustainable and ethical produce practices recommend them immensely to their enthusiastic customers. As for the bakery, artisanal croissants, buns, and award-winning brownies are amongst the array of daily bakes that grace the Petworth display, and with Easter just around the corner, a selection of themed treats have just been brought out, among them their simnel slices and mini egg cupcakes. With cheese taster boxes and other holiday specialities frequently popping up, their shops are certainly worth swerving around at the start of your foodie day in Petworth!
Meet the Petworth purveyors of fine wine & spirits
If you’re in Sussex then you undoubtedly already know about the county’s great wine, after all, you can’t miss our many beautiful vineyards. And if you like great wine, head to Hennings Wine in Golden Square in Petworth. Founded in 1960, Hennings started life as a deli but these days is a well-known wine merchant that has a fantastic selection of old world wines and spirits as well as lots of local choice. They also have a wealth of wine knowledge and offer tastings.
Head to Petworth Market
If you’re on Mission Foodie, make sure you visit Petworth on market day. The market meets between 9.00 am – 1.00 pm every 4th Saturday of the month and is a feast for the tastebuds. Artisan chocolate, local gin, homemade breads, fresh seafood, cheese, olives, marmalades and more. Make sure you take a basket. This is local produce at its best.
Stop for lunch
Your basket should be pretty laden with goodies by now, so why not stop for lunch? Mentioned in the Michelin Guide and tucked away in a 17th-century building with a lovely sunny terrace, E. Street Bar & Grill promises a modern approach with a focus on local ingredients including locally sourced meat and game, as well as seafood and fish. They open from 12 at the weekend if you fancy an early lunch. Alternatively, head a little out of Petworth to nearby Tillington and the Horse Guards Inn. The décor inside and out is wonderfully eclectic and they forage, grow their own and use local suppliers for their ever-changing menu. This is shabby chic meets fine dining and the location is hopelessly pretty.
Take a stroll amongst the vines
Lunch complete, you may want a little light exercise, so head to one of the local vineyards. Stopham Vineyard is about 7 km south of Petworth and is one of Sussex’s premier wine producers. In a beautiful corner of countryside and not far from a Medieval church, they offer vineyard, winery and wine-tasting tours with the winemaker on the majority of Saturdays at 11 am or 2 pm between April and September.
Interested in foodie history?
I’m always a sucker for a historic kitchen, and if you have time, a visit to Petworth House (National Trust) includes a visit to their Victorian scullery, winter dairy, larder, pastry room, and still room.
Catch your own
If you don’t fancy Petworth House, why not catch your own produce with a quick trip to nearby Duncton Mills Trout Fishery where they offer non-members fishing in their Birch Lake
On your way home …
If you have room, time or inclination, deviate home via nearby Fittleworth Stores. It’s a small store with a big mission and it’s filled with lots more local produce!
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